The impact of legislation on the welfare of animals during transport

This project set out to assess what impact legislation (specifically EC 01/2005) has had on the protection of animals (pigs, sheep, cows, horses, ponies, layer hens and broilers) during transport. Through a combination of desk-research, interviews with industry bodies, a telephone survey of farmers, one-to-one surveys of farmers and hauliers at livestock markets, and telephone surveys of livestock market and abattoir operators, the project provided answers to the following questions:

Has legislation driven improvements in welfare status?

Has legislation led to unintended consequences that may have reduced animal welfare?

Is there a better suite of indicators that might be used to demonstrate changes in the welfare of animals during transport?

What additional non-legislative strategies could be used to further improve the welfare of animals during transport?